The Isle of Man Arts Council is inviting the public to submit suggestions for the design theme of five new sculptures to feature on the St John’s to Kirk Michael heritage trail.

The project, which is being carried out in partnership with the Department of Infrastructure, intends to instal five sculptures along the length of the former railway line between the two villages.

Entrants will need to provide an overall theme and then five individual sculpture suggestions accompanied with an explanation behind their chosen theme.

The winning theme will receive £100 prizemoney from the Department of Infrastructure.

The winning designs will be sculpted be Tony Elder of Manx Chainsaw Carvings, who has been the creator of the sculptures already in place on the heritage trail between Douglas and Peel.

Department member for the DoI and Chair of the Isle of Man Arts Council, Marlene Maska MLC said: ’Public art, and sculpture art in particular, has been proven to immortalise a strong sense of identity of an area, enhancing uniqueness and character and encourages people to view land and community in new ways.

’We are really excited to see what themes the public can come up with for this new project.’

Design Specifications

l Entrants are to propose a theme with five individual suggestions for the carvings, accompanied with an explanation for the chosen theme.

l Entries open for a month from today, April 1, with a deadline of April 30. They must be submitted to the IoMAC via the online portal at https://iomarts.com/sculptures

l The winning theme will be chosen by the Arts Council.

l Applicants under the age of 16 should seek parental permission before submitting.

l Use of the entry remains with the Arts Council and DoI.

If you have any questions, email [email protected]